How Do You Know?
by Tierra Lancer
Summary: A sweet MitsuMiya fanfic that I wrote in a fit of...well, not quite creativity... CAUTION: Shounen-ai. Boy love. Yaoi. However you know it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it, Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. Slam Dunk actually belongs to Inoue Takehiko. And if it did, there'd be a lot more of this going on. ^^ Anyway! So Slam Dunk is © Inoue Takehiko, everyone! Woo!

**How Do You Know?**  
MitsuMiya Fanfic 

by Tierra

  
"Ayachan, did you see that steal?!"

Same old, same old.

"Ayachan, watch this shot!"

Yes Ayachan, no Ayachan...

"Did you see? Did you see?!"

Three bags full, Ayachan.

Why did he keep doing this?

He'd been like this for...God knows how long. It had become more of a habit than something backed by any kind of feeling.

Maybe he should drop what had finally become a charade.

*****

Miyagi Ryota. No. 7. Point Guard. 168cm. 59kg. Second year.

And one hell of a cocky bastard, he thought proudly, walking down the empty road, his bag swinging cheerfully from one hand. Practice had been good today. That Hanamichi...seriously...when would he understand that Rukawa might just be a bit better than he was? Miyagi could identify with Hanamichi's feelings, though: he also wasn't the type who would just lie down and admit defeat very easily.

In anything.

He frowned, the thought casting a dark shadow over his happy thoughts. It let in a thought that he really didn't feel like addressing yet. But it kept coming. 

Ayachan.

He was getting tired of it. Of her. She knew about his crush, it wasn't exactly the subtlest thing about him, and yet she did nothing about it. He was a friend, and apparently that's all he ever would be. 

A friend. Yes. And to be frank...he wasn't really against that idea. He was getting sick of suffering from his unrequited love. And, now that he came to think of it...it was becoming more a background thing in his mind than anything else. A habit. That's all it was. The way he fawned over her everywhere, acted cool just for her...it had become as much of his personality as anything else about him. She'd become more of a sister in many respects, not only to him, but the entire team: her condescending fan-thwaps, her encouraging words, her eternal genki-ness.

Miyagi Ryota, No. 7, Point Guard, 168cm, 59kg, second year, walked into a tree.

He winced, and in a fit of blind anger, kicked the tree bad-temperedly, wondering why people had to put up trees in a park, unfairly wondering if they were just there to annoy him. The point guard recoiled, nursing his foot, and sighed. Damn women. Troublemakers of love, he thought darkly, hopping on one foot and biting his lip.

"Oi, Miyagi. Trees won't just jump aside for you, you know."

Miyagi looked up from his odd jumping dance of agony. 

Mitsui Hisashi. No. 14. Guard Forward. 184cm. 70kg. Third year.

As the pain receded, he lowered his foot again and leaned on the tree. "Yo, Mitsui-san."

He let his gaze sweep over his older teammate. Mitsui, too, had just come from practice and had, apparently been trailing him. Or maybe he lived over this way. It looked like he'd just slept in his school uniform.

"Problems?"

"Eh...a few." Miyagi sat in the shade of the tree and leaned against it, using his bag as a pillow, intent on napping. Maybe Mitsui would take the hint and be on his way. He didn't really feel like discussing his problems.

No such luck, of course. Miyagi heard a thud and opened his eyes to see Mitsui lying next to him, hands behind his head, staring at the clouds. "So...want to talk about it?" 

"Not really." Miyagi was a little annoyed and shut his eyes stubbornly.

"Ayachan troubles?"

Miyagi opened his eyes again, forgetting his nap, and shot Mitsui a dark glare. "Don't even go there, Mitsui-san."  
He was a little surprised to see a small smile playing over Mitsui's lips. "Okay, okay, I can take a hint." Yeah. Right. "Just stop calling me that."

"What?"

"Mitsui-san. Ugh, it makes me feel old. We're teammates now, right? Just call me Mitsui."

"Alright...Mitsui. Heh, it feels kinda weird."

Mitsui...

*****

Miyagi woke up slowly, letting himself drift awake rather than forcing himself awake like when he absolutely had to get up for school. That was a pleasant nap. He yawned and propped himself up on his elbows, looking around sleepily. It was about...he squinted at his watch...4:33pm. Right. Still much of the day left to enjoy.

A soft snore.  
Odd...he'd woken up. You don't generally snore when you're awake.

He looked down.

Mitsui was stretched out next to him, sleeping soundly, one arm still clutching his gym bag protectively. He looked so...innocent, for lack of a better word, asleep like that. Nothing like the gangster he used to be, the one Miyagi'd had to fight, with both of them ending up in hospital.  
Miyagi smiled unknowingly, picking some fallen leaves off Mitsui's shirt.

His hand brushed the taut muscles of Mitsui's chest lightly. He stirred.

Miyagi blushed.

He withdrew his hand and felt his cheeks. What? A blush? This is MITSUI here! What's wrong with you, Ryota?! You're acting like a lovesick schoolgirl! You're acting just like you did when you had a crush on Ayach--...oh no no no no, don't even GO there. He's your teammate and good friend. You don't think of him like that. That's right. Now, stop blushing, people will get the wrong idea. Good thing it's around this time...not many people out in the parks at this time.

You're mind-babbling Ryota. That's a bad sign. You only mind-babble when you're thinking about Ayako. Ayako? Ayachan. Not Ayako, he never called her Ayako anymore. Until now.

...No way.  
*It's true, you've fantasised about him before.*  
*No matter how much you try to deny it.*  
*When your problems with Ayako became too much...*

Is this why I don't love Ayako anymore?

Because...I'm...in love with...

He looked down at the still-peacefully-sleeping three-point shooter, stunned and scared by his own realisation. Oh God. What if people found out? What if Ayako found out? What would she thin-- 

Would it matter?  
*No.*

What if -he- found out?  
*That would matter.*

Yes...what if he found out. Ryota groaned and put his head in his hands. This was going to be worse than his love for Ayako...so much worse...because he couldn't even show it...

"Nng..."

Oh God, he's waking up! What should I do? Should I run away? Fuck, this was not going to be pleasant...

Ryota nearly got up to run.  
*Don't run away. You never run away.*

"...Ryo...ta..."

Eh?

Miyagi looked down at Mitsui, startled. He wasn't waking up but...he just...just...why? What was he dreaming? Could he...? Don't get your hopes up, Ryota, just because he's never shown interest in a girl or acts all buddy-buddy with you doesn't mean he...swings that way. Just because...

Don't get your hopes up.  
*It could happen.*

Squash them.  
*They'll still be there.*

He probably has a girlfriend.  
*He would have mentioned her.*

He wouldn't be interested.  
*How do you know?*

He'll hate you.  
*How do you know?*

*Aren't you the one who never gives up easily?*  
*Aren't you the one who won't lie down and admit defeat?*  
*How do you know, unless you don't try?*  
*How do y--

Mitsui slid an arm around Ryota's waist and hugged him gently, murmuring unintelligible sentences under his breath.

--ou know?*

Ryota inhaled sharply, blushing furiously. He felt as if his head might explode, as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest at the rate it was beating, but he didn't dare struggle. Mitsui was still asleep, it seemed, and to struggle might wake him up. And if he found them like this...who knows what might happen. Better to lie still. 

Don't concentrate on his warmth. Don't concentrate on the feeling of his body against yours. Don't concentrate on his sexiness. Don't concentrate on--...hell, I'm giving myself a nosebleed.

Just concentrate on how nice this feels.  
*It could happen you know. Consider it.*

Nothing else.  
*Nothing else.*

*****

Ayako walked down the road hurriedly. She'd stayed late for private lessons after basketball practice and wanted to get home in time for her favourite drama. She checked her watch. 4:45. She slowed a little, sweeping her curly hair back. She had plenty of time, so she could walk normally and enjoy the...hang on a minute...

She cocked her head curiously to one side, moving to one side of the path for a better look at the two figures, both asleep under a tree. She drew closer, close enough to make out who they were...and smiled.

Mitsui had both arms around Ryota's waist and was hugging him protectively in his sleep, almost curled around the smaller boy. Ryota was leaning against the tree, one arm around Mitsui's broad shoulders. His head rested on Mitsui's. Both were deep in sleep.

Ayako pinched her nose, searching for a tissue to stop her nosebleed. With a tissue piece safely up each nostril, she continued to rummage through her bag. I have a camera in here somewhere...there it is.

She skipped home, just in time to catch her drama.

Her mind was a million miles away. Well, not really. More like a few hundred metres. As far as a certain tree in a certain park, and two certain boys.

Finally.

Now he'll get off my back.

...I'm so happy for them.

~+To Be Continued+~

Author's Notes: Wahey. Written in a mad fit of fanfic sickness when I was supposedly doing my Maths coursework. Feh.  
Anyway! There are not enough MitsuMiya fics in the world! I shall brainwash you into writing more, oh hapless reader! Mwaaahahaha...okay, that's enough.

Credits are due! Credits go to...uh...Inoue Takehiko for creating Slam Dunk! Yeah!

Thanks, too, to my beta reader and good friend (plus another fanfic writer...she turned me into a writer...) Xara, Bishounen Hunter! Many thanks y'all. Hail to the Spork!

~T


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it, Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. Slam Dunk actually belongs to Inoue Takehiko. And if it did, there'd be a lot more of this going on. ^^ Anyway! So Slam Dunk is (c) Inoue Takehiko, everyone! Woo!

**Chapter 2**  


The whistle sounded loudly. Akagi clapped his hands together, jogging slowly towards Ayako who was just taking the whistle out of her mouth.  
"Okay, everyone, gather 'round!"

They converged at different speeds. Miyagi was first, wanting the practice over as soon as possible so he could go home and take a long cold shower. He attempted to smile at Ayako in his usual over-friendly way, but all he could manage was a slight twitch of the face muscles. He scanned over the rest of the team as they formed a rough half-circle around the captain, breathing heavily.

They all look normal, he thought moodily. Loud-mouth Sakuragi, icebox Rukawa, peacekeeper Kogure, Yasuda...the list went on. Finally, Mitsui, breathing harder than the rest because of his lack of stamina. Miyagi forced his gaze away, fighting to keep his cheeks from turning red.  
It was becoming harder and harder not to think of the tall brunette and Ryota was convinced that he was falling hard. And it would be twice as painful when

*if*

he got rejected. Better not to even think of it, he thought quickly, and forced the thoughts from his mind, tuning back in to Akagi's speech.

"...and we'll have extra practice tomorrow. Remember, we have a game against Spika High in two days and they're pretty tough. We need all the practice we can get." He clapped his hands together. "Okay, see you tomorrow everyone!"

A kind of grunt from the team confirmed their attendance the next day. Ryota nearly sprinted for the training rooms despite his tired state - he wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to go through the torture of watching Mitsui change. Mitsui always dawdled after practice, so he should have plenty of time...

"Oi, Ryota!"

Miyagi's heart sank. Of all the...he turned around to face Ayako, who was hailing him from the other side of the hall. He jogged slowly over. Maybe if he could make this meeting last long enough, Mitsui would be gone by the time he appeared. 

As he got closer, he could see Ayako's grin. Odd. "Hai, Ayachan?" He didn't stop calling her that: she might start to suspect something was wrong. He was surprised when she looped an arm around his shoulders, winking confidentially. Oh no, don't tell me she's interested in me now.

"Yoooou sly dog, you!" she giggled into his ear. 

He pulled away a little, looking at her openly-grinning face confusedly. "Eh? Nanda?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Ryota!" She looked pointedly over at the changing room doors, where Mitsui was casting them a curious look before shrugging and heading away. "You and Mitsui-sempai...ne? Ne?"

The freshmen on the other side of the hall jumped in surprise as Ryota pulled away from Ayako so quickly he nearly fell. As it happened, he stumbled a few steps and did a small twirl of the arms to keep his balance. He was blushing worse than ever, looking shocked. How did she--? "Nanda yo?!" he yelped.

Ayako covered his mouth with one hand, holding a finger to her mouth and looking towards the freshmen worriedly. Ryota took the hint. Good thing they were on the other side of the hall or they would have heard everything.  
The manager removed her hand, looking curiously at the blushing point guard. "You mean...you and Mitsui-sempai aren't..."

"No!" Miyagi hissed, turning aside slightly. Damn, I wish I had a fringe, he lamented absently, to hide this damn blush. Traitorous cheeks. 

"But...but how do you explain this then?" Miyagi squinted at the small square photo that Ayako was waving in front of his nose, and the colour suddenly drained from his face. It was him...and Mitsui...napping under that tree...in each other's arms.

Miyagi got flustered, and when he got flustered, he began to snap. "What is there to explain?! Can't I take a nap with a friend in peace? Why does -everything- I do have to be turned into a scandal!?" With this outburst, he turned and stormed out of the hall, his face on fire. It was all he could do not to start running.

Ayako watched him go, shocked. But she was even more convinced by his reaction that she'd hit the spot: the boy had more than a soft spot for Mitsui.

*****

As Ayako and Ryota had their...heated debate, Mitsui was changing, carrying on a pleasant conversation with Kogure. Suddenly he stopped and sneezed.

*Hachii!*

Kogure laughed at him. "Someone's talking about you!"

*Hachii!*

"Ooh, bad things too."

*Hachii!*

"Hey, three sneezes, that's good!"

*Hachii!*

"...maybe you just have a cold."

Mitsui made a face and blew his nose on his gym shirt. Kogure winced. "Eew."

Their...uh...conversation was cut off by Miyagi kicking the door open, storming past bad-temperedly and wrenching open his locker. He scooped everything into his bag and breezed past again and out the still swinging door, muttering darkly to himself. He didn't even say bye: it was like he hadn't even noticed them.

A few moments of silence, then..."Oi, Kogure...d'you know what's up with Miyagi?"

"Shiranai...he was blushing bad just now, did you notice?"

"Not really, I was kind of concentrating on not drawing attention to myself. He looked ready to bash someone in. I don't need to go to hospital again."

"Sou desu ne..."

Mitsui hoisted his bag over his shoulder slowly, stopping at the door. "Jaa, Kogure." He meandered away down the hall.

*****

Two days later...

"Fast break!"

Miyagi heard the call and reacted through instinct, pivoting on one foot, ignoring the protests from his leg muscles and sprinting down the court. One more basket and they'd win, no overtime. He stuck out his hand.

The ball was in it instantly, Akagi's accurate pass finding it's mark. He didn't even slow down and used the momentum to elude his guard, only to run into another opponent. He cursed. They were double-teaming him.

"Pass, Miyagi!" 

Miyagi didn't even look: he just propelled the ball towards the voice. Then he looked to see Mitsui skid to a halt behind the three-point line and aim for a three point shot...

Spika's tall centre, Katou Daiki, appeared in front of Mitsui, blocking the ball's trajectory. Miyagi cursed. One more basket was all they needed...he ducked under the double-teamers' defence and neatly swiped the ball from Mitsui's grasp. The centre wasn't fast - Miyagi was short and went under his defence, hearing a surprised "Nani?!" before stopping in the key and shooting...

*swish*

The buzzer sounded.

*We did it.*

Miyagi had been so concentrated on the game he hadn't realised how close they were to finishing, and rebuked himself. That could become a problem in the future...his thoughts were interrupted by Sakuragi beating him in elation. "Ryo-chin, you did it! We won!"

Miyagi looked up, grinning cockily. "Did you ever doubt me?" The rest of the team converged on where they were standing, cheering hoarsely.

It was odd. Thinking back, Miyagi could never remember anything from that game as clearly as Mitsui's hand ruffling his hair and grabbing him in a one-armed hug before they went to line up.

*****

Ayako's house was dressed to the nines and fit for partying. In a fit of high spirits after winning the game, she'd offered an impromptu get-together of the entire team plus anyone they cared to bring. A perfect excuse for a certain pointguard and, incidentally, 'man of the match' as it were to...uh...accidentally end up in a certain three-point shooter's arms, she mused. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

But...damn. The entire Shohoku team, subs and all, plus Haruko and her friends, and the Sakuragi army, even Mitsui's old in-school gang members had turned up. And somehow Hikoichi had gotten wind of the party, which meant several other members of the other high schools had turned up to congratulate Shohoku. Spika was a notoriously hard team, but looking around, Ayako could even spot at least two Spikans milling about - their captain, a team member (his name was Uchida Kentaro, she remembered) and a friend of theirs, apparently...she didn't know him. The party had spilled out into her garden - damn lucky her house was big - and now there was more than enough space.

Ayako sighed. She wasn't too concerned, as long as the supplies held out. Akagi and Haruko had had the foresight to bring a hamper of extras, just in case, which were coming in handy. The party was going well: the music was at an acceptable level, little groups had broken off to talk amongst themselves, a few were even swaying their hips to the music...she scanned the room again from her vantage point on the stairs, looking for two people in particular and pinpointed them.

Ryota was...well, just hanging out near the drinks, accepting compliments on his winning shot fluidly, making smartass comments, or so Ayako figured considering that people were laughing at whatever he was saying. Glancing around again, she spotted Mitsui threading his way through the crowd towards his old gang and hailing them.

Ayako sighed. How...HOW would she pull this off...

*****

Ryota laughed and joked easily in the crowd, but inside, he was on autopilot. Usually he enjoyed such gatherings, the attention, the fun, the compliments, but right now it was just getting claustrophobic. He looked around distractedly and spotted Ayako on the stairs...well, more importantly, the stairs, because they led up to the roof.

He wanted downtime, and the roof seemed the best place. It wasn't really a roof...more like a balcony of sorts, but it was quiet and large. He excused himself and weaved through the crowd to the bottom of the stairs.

"Ayako...nice party!" He greeted her with false cheerfulness, their discussion in the hall still fresh in his mind, forgetting to call her Ayachan. She winked and waved at him.

"Going to the roof?"

"Yeah...need some..." He said the first thing that came to mind. "...fresh air." Baka, she'll see through that! You could just go outside to the garden for fresh air.

Surprisingly, she stepped aside. "Go ahead. I don't blame you, it's getting stuffy in here." She sighed melodramatically. "But someone's got to keep an eye on all these rowdy basketball players."

Miyagi laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. "True...thanks a lot, Ayako." He jogged slowly up the stairs, reaching the balcony and sighing into the peace and quiet. That hadn't been too weird.

He didn't see Ayako smirk and disappear into the crowd in Mitsui's direction.

*****

"Oi, Miyagi!"

"Eh...uh...what?..." Miyagi jerked his head up from where he was leaning against the edge of the balcony. He'd almost fallen asleep, pondering the stars that were so clear tonight...if he squinted at them, he could see Mitsui's face outlined against them...

He snapped out of his semi-sleep reverie when a hand tweaked his nose. "Earth to Miyagi. Damn, man, you're really spacing out."

Miyagi turned to see the object of his affections leaning on the balcony rim next to him, staring out at the myriad of lights that was the city. "Yeah...the game today really took it out of me."

Mitsui slapped him on the back jovially, sending a thrill up the point guard's spine. "Don't blame ya! You're the star of the game!"

Miyagi flushed a little and turned away. Getting a compliment from the one he loved...and a touch...in a private place with just the two of them...was bound to make him do stupid things. Better change the subject fast. "So, why are you up here?"

"Oh, Ayako sent me up to see how you were. Said she was worried about you."

"*Did* she?" Miyagi rolled his eyes. So THAT's why she was so eager to let him get onto the roof - so she could set them up together like this. Like she wanted things to--...she DID want things to happen between them.

Miyagi had mixed feelings about Ayako's help. He wasn't ready, and these uncomfortable situations were just going to make things worse if he happened to do something that he knew he would regret. But part of him appreciated the help, to an extent...someday, it would make it easier to confess his feelings. 

He tuned back in to what Mitsui was saying. "...up on the roof and she asked if I could please just check on him, please? I asked why she didn't go herself, and she just hit me with her fan and sent me up...you know how she is." He nudged Miyagi suggestively with his elbow. "*I* think she's just too embarrassed to come up here herself." He winked. Miyagi's heartbeat sped up until he realised what the wink meant.

"Forget it." Miyagi said bluntly. "That won't happen anytime soon. Me and Ayako, I mean."

Mitsui looked...well, he almost looked shocked. Miyagi thought he caught some hope there too. Stop imagination, he ordered. He probably likes Ayako or something.

*DAMN, you're a pessimist.*

Shut up, you.

"Hey, you didn't call her Ayachan...and you're not obsessing..." Mitsui flinched, smiling, expecting some sort of physical retaliation from Miyagi, but it didn't come. He went on. "Could it be you've finally gotten over her?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I guess. I was getting tired of it...plus I...I have feelings for someone else." Miyagi answered evasively, part of him hoping that Mitsui might take the hint, part of him afraid of the same thing.

Mitsui raised one eyebrow. "Really? Who?" He asked evenly.

"It doesn't matter.

*Tell him! Tell him!*

All I know is...I'm pretty sure that person doesn't like me back." He laughed hollowly. "I'm destined to a life of unrequited love." Miyagi sighed dejectedly.

*No, you're not. The chance is there.*

Mitsui slid one arm around Miyagi's shoulders, standing closer to him.

Miyagi nearly had a heart attack.

*See? I told you.*

"Hey, don't say that. You'll find someone to appreciate you...I know it."

"You know--"

Miyagi looked at his team-mate and found himself looking into Mitsui's intense gaze. Their faces were mere inches apart.

*He's going to kiss you.*

Mitsui moved slightly closer.

*He's going to kiss you.*

Mitsui's half-shut eyes were as captivating as any intoxicant. Miyagi felt his breath catch in his throat.

*He's going to--*

"RYOCHIIIIN! Are you UP here?!!"

The mood shattered.

Mitsui unhooked his arm from Miyagi's shoulders, straightening his shirt and looking quizzically at the door as if nothing happened. Sakuragi came through it, his arm being pulled on by Ayako as she tried to stop him from going up the stairs. She took one look at Ryota's disappointed face and frowned, sizing up the situation quickly. Sakuragi was clueless. "Oi, Ryo-chin, Mitchy, c'mon, Sendoh's drunk and he's cross-dressing!"

Mitsui laughed, acting as if nothing had just happened. "I don't know if I want to see that, but I will anyway." He walked away, following Sakuragi back downstairs.

After a few moments, Miyagi wordlessly followed.

*...damn that red-head monkey...*

+~To Be Continued~+

Author's Notes: Heylo everybody...finally, chapter 2 up. I thought they were gonna get together this time round but heydeehey, they didn't! Which shows how much I stick to MY fanfic plans. Anyway. I have absolutely NO idea what Ayachan's house looks like, even if she lives in a house or what, so...bear with me. ^^;;;

More creditos. Inoue Takehiko, of course. Xara again, for being my beta reader, and for putting up with beta reading my fics in a fandom she's iffy about. *hugz* And...uh...my bro for letting me use the comp, even if he doesn't know what for. Ehehehe.

And...uh...*Hachii!* before anyone asks is a sound effect for sneezing...in Indonesian. ^^;;;

~T


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it, Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. Slam Dunk actually belongs to Inoue Takehiko. And if it did, there'd be a lot more of this going on. ^^ Anyway! So Slam Dunk is (c) Inoue Takehiko, everyone! Woo!

**Chapter 3**  


Miyagi jammed the black beanie tighter over his ears and continued walking, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. Cold late afternoon winds whipped across the pleasant greenery of the familiar park

*where you first realised*

near his house. He needed to get out of the oppressive closeness of the house. Some time alone. Time to think.

All his thoughts were directed to a few nights ago. 

*He would have kissed you, you know. He would have--*

Don't go there.

*--taken you into his arms and kissed you long and hard, running his--*

Stop it! Miyagi felt a flush rise to his cheeks and checked no-one was around.

*--strong hands over your back--*

Miyagi turned his thoughts inward, finally confronting that small, insistent, niggling train of thought that always seemed to surface at the most inappropriate of times.

You're a persistant little bugger, aren't you.

*No more than you.*

Leave me alone.

*Stop denying the truth. Remember, you're the one who's so proud about never backing down.*

Uruse.

*Why back down from this?*

Uruse!

*Take a chance. Not even a chance, really - you KNOW he was going to kiss you.*

"URUSE~!" Miyagi yelled out loud, startling a couple nearby. They looked shocked. He tried to act indifferent and sauntered past, but inside his mind was whirling.

For once, he was considering the possibility of a relationship with Mitsui. Would he have a chance? Should he go for it? The same two questions chased each other round and round inside his head. He wasn't willing to answer either of them: his experience with Ayako had left him afraid of considering the option of someone returning his love.

*Yeah, this coming from the guy who's asked...what...nigh on a million different girls out?*

Miyagi could feel a headache coming and sat down irritably on the nearest possible bench. 

And found himself staring at the tree where he and Mitsui had...

He must have unconsciously made his way here while engaged in an argument with himself. Staring at the tree, he remembered every detail with startling, almost scary clarity: the warmth of Mitsui's lean body curled against his, the almost-innocent expression on the other boy's sleeping face, his own quietly-murmured name...

Miyagi stood up restlessly. It was too much to think about now. He needed some way to get his mind off Mitsui, something that never failed to get him completely distracted, completely lost in what he was doing.

He snapped his fingers. It never failed before, it had better work now.

Miyagi strode off. The school's courts shouldn't be locked yet.

*****

"Miyagi! Practicing?"

"Yo, Yasu." Miyagi sauntered into the gym, waving casually at his team-mate. Yasuda had apparently just finished his own personal training and was just coming out of the changing room, bag slung over his shoulder. Yasuda waved in return.   
"Miyagi! Just coming to practice? Where're your gym clothes?"

Miyagi facepalmed inwardly. He'd forgotten a change of clothes. Oh well...he couldn't be bothered to run all the way back home for a change of clothes, and just shrugged. "I'm not going to be staying long..." he lied.

Yasuda nodded. "See you later, Miyagi." He walked away, whistling to himself. Miyagi sighed resignedly, pulling off his shoes. He'd even forgotten his shoes. Well, just this once..it couldn't hurt to play in his socks once, right? Right. Just hope nobody comes along and sees you, Ryota. He picked up a ball and started to dribble.

*****

Half an hour of intense training later, Miyagi slammed the ball back into the ball box, breathing heavily. The practice wasn't helping. Far from it.

He should have known playing basketball would just remind him of Mitsui - after all, he was on the team as well. And everywhere Miyagi looked, things reminded him of the taller boy. 

Training hard wasn't helping either. He couldn't concentrate, and was continualy missing his shots. Playing in socks had been harder than he thought, slipping off-balance for the billionth time, barely catching himself. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Miyagi cursed vividly, heading to the locker room, his shoes only half-on. He couldn't be bothered to wear them properly. What he needed now was a cool down. He didn't feel like walking after the practice, and the locker room was close; he figured a short rest there would help. Besides, he pondered, I think I left my Maths book in there...

*****

A short search around the locker room for the missing Maths book proved unsuccessful and Miyagi slunped onto the bench, his breath regular again. He covered his face with his hands. How many more things could go wrong with his life?

He could hear footsteps - slow, almost lazy footsteps - coming down the hallway outside, and getting closer. Please don't come in here, Miyagi pleaded silently, please, I need to be left alone right now...

The steps stopped and the door swung open. An all-too-familiar face peered around the door. "Oi, Miyagi, you in here?"

"A-Aa, Mitsui." 

Mitsui nudged the door open fully, smiling at him as usual, as if nothing weird had ever happened between them. Such as being on Ayako's roof, for example. "I figured you might be up for a little one-on-one, but by the looks of it you've finished already." He arched an eyebrow, indicating Ryota's sweaty T-shirt. 

Miyagi nodded, keeping up a careful mask of indifference. "Suman...I'm not in the mood. How did you know I was here?"

Shrug. "Yasuda told me. I met him on my way to the coffee shop and figured I'd drop in here, see if I could entice you into coming with?" he offered.

Miyagi shook his head reluctantly. He would dearly love to go, of course, but he didn't think he could suffer through that long with Mitsui. It would be hell. He knew he was a hothead, and who knew what kind of dumbass things he could get around to trying to do, even in public. It was hard enough in basketball practice, let alone just socialising. "Sorry, but not today..."

Mitsui eyed the short pointguard worriedly for a second, then came and sat on the bench next to him. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, until...

"Look, Miyagi..." Miyagi looked up quizzically and was a little surprised to see Mitsui averting his gaze, looking serious and a little...nervous, it seemed. Nervous? Mitsui? The ex-gangster? The boy who thought he could take on the entire basketball team in a fistfight? A likely candidate to being Shohoku's ace player? Nervous? 

Miyagi blinked. He wasn't seeing things. Mitsui had his gaze fixed firmly on his toes.

"Miyagi, if...if this is about what nearly happened on the roof...what I tried to do...I-I'm sorry. I just...thought, you know, maybe..." His mouth worked, but no sound came out. Eventually he gave up and sighed exasperatedly. "I know, I probably freaked you out, and I can understand it if you don't want to hang out with me anymore."

Miyagi had disconnected his brain around the word 'tried'. By the time the word 'freaked' had been said, he'd managed to restart at least a little bit of his brain, enough for him to figure out how to blush again, and at about 'hang' he found he could manage a few coherant thought processes. The first one of which was:

*Haha, didn't I tell you? Didn't I? I'm so good.*

U-uso...is he's saying what I think he is, that means...he...

*Say something, you idiot! Stop talking to yourself and say something!*

However, as Miyagi was arguing with himself and formulating what to say, all too quickly Mitsui stood up. He looked flushed and embarrassed. "I see...well, then I'll just be leaving now..." Miyagi caught his low mutter. "I can't believe I just did that..."

*You're going to lose him, Ryota! Do something!*

Miyagi tried to say something, but apparently the part of his brain that controlled his voice was going through a Scan Disk. Whatever it was doing, he couldn't get the sounds out of his mouth.

*Drastic measures then!*

But...

*Oh man, you are slow! -This- is called a drastic measure!*

The annoying little thought in his brain jacked in to his control centre, seized control of his brain and gave him a good hard mental kick.

Miyagi didn't even realise when he stood up. The thought that controlled his brain controlled his body too, now.

Mitsui was nearly through the door when Miyagi grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around-

"What in the--!!"

- and kissed him fiercely on the lips.

And a small, satisfied voice said *Now that...is a drastic measure.*

For a few moments, Mitsui didn't respond, and Miyagi almost pulled away. Had he misinterpreted what the taller boy had been saying? If he had...this would be the worst thing that could happen in his entire lifetime.

Then Mitsui slowly slid one hand around Miyagi's waist and rested the other gently against the back of his head, pulling him gently closer. Miyagi leaned forward eagerly, deepening the kiss. This was what he had wanted. Mitsui. The boy he loved. The one fantasy he never dared to think of in his rational mind. The one fantasy he could never stop playing over and over in his head no matter what his rational mind thought.

And damn, he was a good kisser.

Slowly, they broke the kiss, out of breath. Miyagi started to speak. "Mits--" Mitsui shushed him, smiling gently. He looked happier than Miyagi had ever seen him. In fact, he looked exactly how Miyagi felt.

Mitsui leaned forward, his lips hovering very close to Miyagi's. "Just Hisashi now." He smiled, the old cocky glint back in his dark eyes. "So...how about that coffee shop then?"

Miyagi smiled. Unrequited love my ass.

"Absolutely. It's a date."

.:~Owari~:.

Author's Notes: Muahahaha, at last! *bouncie* Sorry guys, it took a while to write..been bogged down by school and real life...

Thankies are in order!   
To Xara: for beta-ing my whole story, thankies muchly! Double thankies cos it's an SD fic.^^ Also to Pleiades: For listening to me rant about how cute these two are together, even though she hates yaoi..but I am twisting her. ^^

Hehehe, story com-ple-ted!

~T


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